A New Man
by RaneInfernum
Summary: What would happen to Max and Fang if the rest of the Flock was killed? Well, Fang might go crazy and attack Max, that's what. Rated M for violence, swears, and possible lemon.
1. Chapter 1

"FANG!!" I screamed as he was suddenly tackled in mid- air by a Flyboy. But my terror for Fang was short-lived as a Flyboy flew headfirst in to me. The next few minutes was filled with screams, punches, and kicks. The Flyboy had a strangle hold on me and had me an inch from death when it suddenly relaxed and fell to the ground, where it then exploded. I looked around and saw that this was happening to all the other Flyboys.

"What the…?" I wondered. I sat there in amazement for a few seconds. _What the heck just happened?_ We had been traveling high above a mountain out in the middle of nowhere when we were suddenly jumped by Flyboys who then blew up. How many times does that happen? I put out of my mind for the time, and looked around for the rest of the Flock. I noticed Fang lying on the ground below me moaning in pain. I quickly flew down to him.

"Are you all right?" I asked worriedly.

"I'm fine. Go look for the rest of the Flock," he ordered. I was fine with being ordered around right now because I was still so confused about what had happened with the Flyboys. I took off and noticed them flying off over a ledge. I put on a burst of speed when suddenly I saw Jeb on the ground near the ledge. _Oh crap!_ I thought, as Jeb suddenly pulled out what looked like a sniper rifle. _Oh CRAP!!_ He raised the gun and… fired the gun 8 times in almost 1 second. The bullets pierced the Flocks wings and they went spiraling down the 5,000-foot drop. I was too furious to realize that Jeb had intentionally fired the gun just enough times for the bullets to pierce each of their wings. I flew down to Jeb as fast as I could so I could kill him, but an armored car pulled up right next to him and he jumped, and soon the car was gone. I changed my direction and began flying to the ledge. _They might not have stopped falling yet,_ I hoped but I knew there was a very small chance of that. I flew down the drop as fast as I could. On a few of the rocks jutting out I noticed sprays of blood and each time I saw this I felt a large lump stick in my throat and tears come to my eyes. But I kept on flying. I reached the bottom of the ledge and saw…nothing. Absolutely nothing. I started to cry until I realized this was good news, most likely. If there wasn't even blood down here that meant that they hadn't hit the bottom, meaning there was a possibility that they had clung onto a piece of rock and had crawled into a cave. It was very far-fetched, but I need to think that there was still a chance they were alive. I searched all over the side of the mountain until it was dark. I flew back up to the top howling in sadness and pain of losing the only family that I had ever known. But then I realized that Fang was still alive. And then I realized I'd left him alone on top of the mountain for almost five hours. I quickly flew back to the place where I had left him. It was pretty easy to find as he had started a fire and was cooking… something that looked a bit like a lizard. He didn't look up at me when I landed gracefully next to him.

"F-f-fang they are- I m-mean the Flock is d-d-d," I couldn't to say that the Flock was dead. But he knew what I was trying to say.

"I know," he said simply.

"What?" I asked, surprised at the calmness in his voice. I mean Fang wasn't exactly a person who cries a lot… or at all, but I hadn't expected him to be so… so calm about it.

"I know that you were supposed to look out for them but you failed them and let them get killed," he replied coldly. I stood there, shocked by his words, until I realized that he was right. But I didn't have much time to think about this as suddenly Fangs fist swerved up at my face. I saw darkness ebb into the corners of my vision and was then consumed by the black.


	2. Chapter 2

FOUR MONTHS LATER

"You failed them Max! You failed everyone!" Fang screamed at me from far away. I was tied to a table with surgical equipment on a table nearby. I saw Fang walking toward me.

"Fang! Fang, no please don't. Please," I pleaded knowing it was pointless.

"You are only getting what you deserve, Max. You know it's all you're fault. The Flock is dead because of you," Fang whispered.

"Fang I'm sorry. I'm sorry," I said hysterically.

"Max, you know I love you, right. I'm trying to help you." Fang had a twisted smile on his face. He picked up a surgical knife and started to skin me alive.

I awoke screaming. I've had that same dream every night for the past four months, ever since that fateful day when Jeb shot down the Flock. I heard footsteps outside the door. _Oh no, oh no! I must've woken him up._ The door opened and in walked Fang.

"Hello, Max. I heard you screaming and decided to check up on you," he said with the same smile he had had in my dream. He walked forward and pushed back a curl of hair from my face. As he did, I felt metal graze the side of my face. I quickly looked up and saw brass knuckles on his hand. _Oh crap!_ I thought. He wasn't lying about them.

Fang noticed me looking at the knuckles and asked, "Like 'em? I got them yesterday. They oughta show you real pain." And with that began punching me in the gut with them. You see, my dream wasn't that far off from how things had been ever since the night when Fang punched me and knocked me out. I had woken up in some old house chained to the wall. Then Fang had come in and started screaming at me for letting down the Flock. He had punched me in between words. After a half hour of pain he had suddenly stopped and walked away. He came in a few minutes later with old bread and lukewarm water. Seeing as I had grown up on the run and wasn't picky, I downed the food in about four seconds. And that was how it had been for the past few months. Fang would beat me and scream at me for failing the Flock and then he would feed me. I had many chances to escape, but I never took them. I deserved this. Fang was right about me. I had failed everybody. Back to the present, where Fang was beating me. I felt the brass knuckles connect with my chin, stomach, arms, everywhere. I had been beaten before, but never like this. I felt my life slowly start to leave me. Just as I was about to die, something crashed downstairs. Fang hesitated, glared at me like it was my fault, then stalked downstairs. I heard several crashes. Then I heard the fight slowly start to move upstairs. When Fang had gone downstairs, he had left the door open, so I saw who the attacker was. I felt my heart stop then speed up. The face was strained, beaten, and bloody, but there was no doubt who it was. It was the person who had saved me and then betrayed me. It was the person who had given me hope, then destroyed it. It was my father. It was Jeb. I felt time seem to slow down, as he rushed toward me leaving Fang on the ground, panting.

"Hello, Maximum," he said calmly, and then began to unchain me. I was so shocked that it took me a moment to react. I simply stared and stared. Then Jeb was suddenly punched in the back. Fang had recovered and was beating Jeb mercilessly. But Jeb barely even seemed to notice the attacks. It was a pretty even fight between Fang and Jeb. I would have jumped into the fray, but after being beaten for weeks, I was too tired. But then I noticed something. On the steps was a big gun. It looked like an Ak-47, not that I really knew what it was. I ran over to the steps, completely ignored by the two men who had ruined my life, and picked up the gun. I wasn't sure how to use it, but I had to try. I pulled the trigger, aiming the gun at one of the men. Nothing happened. I examined the gun, and then noticed a button that said safety. The gun was locked. I pressed the button and heard a click. I pointed the gun again, took aim, and fired. I saw the bullets fly through the air as though in slow motion. I saw the bullets hit their target, and heard a thump as the body hit the ground, already died. After the noise died away, I looked up and saw Fang lying dead, blood pooling around him in a small pond.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the long wait. I started reading the Twilight Saga and then I reread Maximum Ride. Anyways, on with the story.**

I let the gun clatter to the floor. I stood there, shell-shocked, until Jeb came over to me and said, "You did the right thing, Maximum, he was going to kill you." It took a moment for his words to process in my brain, but when they did I turned to look at him.

"SHUT UP! Don't come near me you son of BITCH. You killed them! You killed the flock! You killed Angel." My voice broke at the end. I had been in too much pain to really even notice that I would never hear Gazzy and Iggy sitting together, planning out new ways to make bombs. I would never hear Nudge go on and on about what clothes she wanted. I would never hear Angel in my head again. I would never… I would never see Fang flashing his rare but beautiful smile at me. I would never feel the warmth of Fang's lips on mine again. "Now give me one good reason why I shouldn't blow your head off your neck right now." As if to emphasis my point, I bent down and grabbed the gun at my feet and pointed at Jeb's forehead.

Jeb didn't look even remotely afraid. He just looked at me sadly and said, "Maximum, I wish I could explain everything to you right now, but I can't. Suffice it to say that I'm your one true friend."

I glared at him. "No, you are giving me some real answers _now_ or you will have lead ripping your head apart." I was happy to hear that my voice was even now. I was still furious, still distraught, still planning ways I could kill Jeb as painfully as possible, still planning what would be the best and fastest way to commit suicide. I wanted death to find me. I couldn't stand another minute in this world. I sincerely hoped right then that there was no God, no heaven, only Hell, where pain was supposedly always washing through you. Only in Hell would I be able to forget about what had happened. But I pushed those thoughts aside and was able to concentrate only on the here and the now.

"Sorry, Max. I will answer your questions soon, but not now," Jeb said sadly. And with that he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a shot. I didn't have ac chance to fight him. He quickly grabbed my arm and shoved the needle into it.

"Sorry Max," he repeated, but I was already fading. The darkness started to consume me and I felt myself began to fall. Before I hit the ground though, I felt Jeb's strong hands catch me and place me softly on the floor.

I was suddenly strapped to a table. I heard Fang scream at me, "You failed them, Max! You failed everyone!" I realized that I was dreaming, but there was nothing I could do to wake up. Even after Fang was gone, even after I had killed him, I would still have to suffer this dream. I saw Fang walk toward me. But then something happened that hadn't happened during this dream before. The straps that held me to the table suddenly loosened, and I was able to sit up. In one quick, graceful, move I had grabbed the knife that he had used to skin me alive with every night for the past four months, and leaped toward Fang. I landed on top of him, and I felt fury burn heart. I saw fear in Fang's eyes, and it made me happy.

"Max stop! Please, don't kill me!" Fang begged. I wasn't listening, though. I plunged the knife into Fang's stomach and began to twist it and move it around. With every slight movement of the knife, Fang gasped in pain, until he suddenly stopped making any noise at all.

**A/N: Click the purple button and review. It doesn't bite. *purple button snarls and bites off my finger***

**Okay maybe it does. But review. Only if you review will my finger grow back and I will be able to type again.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N ****A know it's been a LOOOOOOOOONG time since I updated, but… hmmm… I don't really have any excuses. Sorry! I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but this takes place after book 3. Also, there might be some misinformation, but that's because I haven't read Maximum Ride for a long time.**

"Max! Max, wake up!" I heard a voice yell in my ear.

"What?" I still hadn't fully awoken

"You started yelling like a mad man!" I suddenly realized who it was yelling and rolled away as fast as I could. I stood up and got into a fighting stance, then fell to the ground in pain. After months of being beaten up by Fang, my body felt like… well, like I had been being beaten up for months.

Jeb had gotten up and was walking toward me slowly, as if I were a wild animal that might attack him if he made any sudden movements. I would have attacked him sudden movements or no, but I could barely move.

"Max, please calm down!" Jeb pleaded.

"Oh, yeah, I'm going to listen to you, after you killed the flock and then injected me with some tranquilizer," I retorted.

"Let me explain. If you don't listen up I'm gonna have to paralyze you with this!" As if to emphasize his point, Jeb pulled at needle with what looked like a ten-inch tip.

I eyed the needle warily and said grudgingly, "Fine!"

"First of all, I need to explain some things. Itex has not been destroyed. You may have destroyed the Director, but she was just a distraction. Itex still has an even more powerful Director. Next, you may have noticed that I am not a regular weak human anymore. I fooled Itex into thinking that I work for them, so they…augmented me. Remember Omega? Well I'm similar to him, but not as brainless."

I sighed, then asked, annoyed, "Explain why I care about any of this. As matter of fact, I'm outta here." I jumped up to my feet, ignoring the horrible pain that coursed through my entire being. I tried to away but Jeb was too fast.

He jumped on me and wrestled me to the ground. I bit him, but nothing seemed to affect him. Jeb pulled out the aforementioned needle and stabbed it into my arm.

You would think that after months of being beaten by Fang, a needle would seem like nothing, but you're wrong. Believe me, I felt that giant needle.

I tried to squirm away from Jeb, but the needle took effect fast. I could feel everything, but I could not move. It was one of the most terrifying sensations of my life, and that's saying something.

"Okay. You listening?" Jeb didn't wait for a response (mainly because I couldn't give one) and continued talking like nothing had happened. "So… Where was I? Oh yeah. After I was augmented, Itex started sending me out on… tasks, which I am trying hard to forget about. They were very bloody. Mainly they were just testing me to see how good an assassin I was. After many of these said tasks, they gave me my last mission. It was too find you and your flock."

The moment he said "your flock" I started trying to tune him out. Which is virtually impossible when you're paralyzed.

"Maximum, by the way, you will only be paralyzed for one hour. I don't want you worrying about that," Jeb said, and truth be told, I had been starting to worry if I would be nothing more than a lifeless shell for the rest of my life. "But back to the past. I was sent to find and capture the flock."

I felt my heart start to fly. Jeb had said, "capture the flock." not "kill the flock". Maybe I had been right when I had thought the flock wasn't dead. I was starting to get interested in what Jeb had to say to me.

"Yes, you heard me correctly. The flock is not dead. After I shot them in the wings, a group of Flyboys, as you call them, caught them as they fell injected them with some tranquilizers, and brought them back to Itex base somewhere in the Rocky Mountains," Jeb explained all of this to me as if he was eager to finally tell someone that the flock was alive.

And then I realized. The whole flock wasn't alive. Fang. Fang was lying dead…somewhere. I realized that Jeb had moved Fang's body while I had been unconscious.

"Maximum, I am about to unparalyze you with an antidote. You should know that if you do try to move, I have another tranquilizer in my belt."

Jeb moved toward me, antidote in hand. He drew close and quickly jabbed me with the needle. For some reason, I hardly felt the needle pierce my skin. Then I realized that my body was no longer in immense pain.

"The paralyzer also had a ingredient that healed you. How it works is way beyond me," Jeb explained, as if reading my mind. "Maximum, are you thinking of running?"

"No," I responded. I did not know if I entirely trusted Jeb, but what choice did I really have. Anyway, I wanted answers.

"The reason I unparalyzed you is because this next piece of information might be hard for you to absorb," Jeb informed me.

"Well get on with it then. Piss or get off the pot!"

"Mind your tongue, Maximum Ride! You may forget, but I am your father."

"Yeah, yeah," I responded sarcastically.

"Fang is not dead. What you shot was a clone."

**A/N I'll try to update faster this time. Scratch that. I **_**will**_** update faster next time.**


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